Organize paperwork for a move to Costa Rica in separate folders: entry documents, your residency application, family records, and any shipping or pet arrangements. Not every document needs the same authentication, translation or timing. Confirm the procedure before paying for records.
Passport and entry arrangements
Check the current entry requirements for your nationality and travel itinerary with Costa Rica’s immigration authority and your airline. Keep your passport and relevant travel evidence accessible. An admitted tourist stay and approval to reside are different matters; do not plan on a guaranteed number of days merely because an old article quotes one.
Residency application folder
Choose the category first on DGME’s regularization page. Then prepare the applicable signed request, photographs, passport copies, birth and background records, and pension, income, investment or family evidence. Our residency document checklist explains the general requirements.
Background evidence depends on the correct country and issuing authority. A U.S. FBI record should not be imposed on every nationality. Likewise, foreign public documents are authenticated through the competent authority for that document; not every document goes to the U.S. Department of State. Check the apostille or legalization route before ordering.
Translations and document dates
For immigration documents not in Spanish, use a translation method accepted by DGME. Read the translation guide. Translation does not fix a missing apostille or an incorrect name.
Check validity for the actual document and category. DGME provides conditions under which older birth certificates can be accepted. Do not buy replacements for every record based on a blanket six-month statement. Plan the timing around the records your application needs.
Family and everyday records
Keep relationship and identity documents organized for each family member. If applying with dependents, review the category-specific family requirements.
Separately, ask prospective schools or healthcare providers which records would help them. Keep useful education and medical records accessible, but do not assume the immigration authority requires every document useful for daily life.
Household goods and pets
If shipping household goods, prepare an inventory and ask the shipper or customs broker for a written checklist covering transport records, item descriptions and any supporting purchase records. Immigration approval does not by itself establish an import exemption. Verify current customs eligibility and costs before booking shipment. See shipping household goods.
For pets, ask the relevant veterinary and entry authorities about the documents and timing for the animal’s route. Use our bringing pets guide as a starting point. Keep pet and shipping records separate from the residency file.
Copies, receipts and next steps
- Keep originals secure and carry only what the appointment or journey requires.
- Save readable digital copies with clear names and issuance dates.
- Retain payment receipts, filing confirmations and official notices.
- Confirm whether an office needs an original, a certified copy or a simple copy.
- Update the checklist when an authority gives instructions for your case.
Residency filing, approval and first DIMEX documentation are different stages. Follow your notices and our residency timeline guide. There is no universal total price or approval date for every move.
Contact CRIE for help planning the immigration records before you order them.
Immigration requirements checked against DGME on September 7, 2026. Shipping, school, healthcare and pet arrangements require their own current instructions. Images are illustrative.